MASCOTISSUE 424 JULY 2019

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E M I D G E T & S P R I T E C L U B £3

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: ‘BLEEDIN HELL’ • 3D IGNITION • DAKS OVER NORMADY • FHBVC UPDATE

ESCAPE IN A SPRITE BY PETER OHORN

RESTORING A FROGEYE BY NEIL MCLEOD

OUTSTANDING CLUB MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR 2018

HIGHLY COMMENDEDMASC MEMBERS RAISE £1000 FOR CHARITY

www.midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

HIGHLY COMMENDED

THENATIONALCAR CLUB

2019 IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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SPRIDGETS AT CURBOROUGH

WELCOMETO THE JULY EDITION OF MASCOT

MIDGET &SPRITE CLUB

NEIL THOMASeditor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

The statements and opinions expressed in each and every issue of Mascot are not necessarily the considered views of the Midget and Sprite Club. The views expressed by the editorial contributors, letter writers and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Club. The Midget and Sprite Club accepts no responsibility for the results of following contributor’s advice, nor does it necessarily endorse the services or products offered by advertisers.

THE DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES AND REPORTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE AUGUST EDITION OF MASCOT IS...

FRIDAY 12TH OF JULY

ISSUE 424

It’s been another busy month for MASCOT, with high quality reports coming in and other associated material that keeps MASCOT full of interest for members. Like others I use social media but can’t get over how carried away people get when using their keyboards. I’m sure if people were in the same room as each other when speaking, they would never become so rude and inconsiderate. Social media is also so fleeting and temporary in its information flow, unlike MASCOT where you get to keep a hard copy. MASCOT has been around a good many years and is one of the staples of this fantastic little club. As long as the club continues, MASCOT will be there. I am also delighted to report this month that yet another MASC area has been established. MASC member Andew Parrot has stepped forward and set up a new Northamptonshire Area Meeting. At their first meeting they had five cars rock up, which is a great start. Out of little acorns and all that. The meetings will be on the 3rd Thursday at the Red Lion, Welford Rd, Thornby, Northants, NN6 8SJ. Further details in the back of this issue.

On the 3rd June I was delighted to be part of a group of 20 cars that hired Curborough for a private event. Made up mainly of K/Z Midgets and others (also mainly MASC members), we raised £1000 for the York Hospital SCBU unit that provided outstanding care for MASC members Rob and Jenni Armstrong’s baby, Alex. This event was also enabled by the generous sponsorship of one of our MASC members. Thank you. If other MASC members raise money for good causes, let me know about it please.I now have to correct the colour of Graham and Zoe Hawkins’s Midget mentioned in June’s Wiltshire report. It is in fact blaze and not red. I don’t think anyone meant to be blazist both. Then Alan Crowther contacted me on an appropriate caption for Mark Boldry’s Frogeye suspended in its overseas container, thus “When I ordered a Sprite suspension, I didn’t expect this”. You won a non existent prize I’m afraid Alan. Also take a look at Graham’s ‘Cambridge’ Report this month where he mentions the advent of noise cameras coming to a town near you soon. Better change those cherry bombs folks or you’ll be picking up a fine. Ian Cooke has also suggested that I publish the dates of forthcoming MASC committee meetings to enable members to submit any items for discussion. I think this is a great idea. The next one is on the 6th July followed by the AGM on the 26th October. Details of this and the nomination form for offering your services as a committee member are included in this issue. . Please note the submission date for nominations is 21st July.Lastly I need your planned events for the Events Calendar. It’s looking a bit sad at the moment. By publishing them in one place it’s easier for members to find events that they might like to join in with. Well that’s it for me this month. I’m off to re-pack the silencer on my K Midget now, 98db might be a tad high. Neil

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26-28 July Silverstone Classic

8 August  Notts & Derby area “Fish and Chips” night at Matlock Bath. Followed by a short drive to a local hostelry.  Contact: Ian Cooke to register an interest. ilcooke@btinternet.com

9 September MASC Track Day, Castle Combe courtesy of MGOT

26 October AGM, RAF Cosford

Send your events details to editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk Area Reps, Please remember that you can now add your monthly events on the Club’s website.

Please contact Mike webmaster@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

EVENTS CALENDAR 2019

EVENTS DETAILS NEEDED FOR 2019 Area reps please make Neil Thomas aware of any events already in your diaries and any that are

planned for 2019 so that they can be added to this section of the magazine and the website.

For the magazine Neil can be contacted at editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk For the website Mike Bennett can be contacted at webmaster@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

REGALIA All available on line, along with other items at: www.midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

Binders £6.50

Key fobs £3.25

Grille badges £21

Badge Bar badges now in stock, £21

Cloth badge £3.25 inc p&p

Golf umbrellas from £19.19 plus p&p

Window sticker £2 inc p&p

DVD £12

CCD00962019

www.silverstoneclassic.comOur club’s exclusive Car Club Display Package code is:

The cars are the stars…at the Classic

SC19 Car Club Advert A4 Multiples V2.indd 1 13/11/2018 10:19

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CCD00962019

www.silverstoneclassic.comOur club’s exclusive Car Club Display Package code is:

The cars are the stars…at the Classic

SC19 Car Club Advert A4 Multiples V2.indd 1 13/11/2018 10:19

NEW MEMBERS We extend a warm welcome to the following new and rejoined members

MAY > JUNE 2019

5898 Andrew Breckon Hampshire Midget 1500

5899 Robert Wells Somerset Midget Mk 2

5900 Ray Lambert East Yorkshire Midget Mk 3

5901 Joe Sugden Warwickshire Sprite Mk 2

5902 Andrew & Ali Gray Nottinghamshire Sprite Mk 4

5903 Jeremy & Karen Tickle Merseyside Midget Mk 3

I have recently purchased

1972 RWA midget and joined your club.

Regards Ray

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All beautiful

To submit your photo by email to editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk (jpeg, max file size 5MB)

Peter Ohorn doing some smuggling at the border?

Is she called Gabby?

Paul Hitchings’s daughter’s wedding

Graham likes ice cream

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AGM 26TH OCTOBER COSFORD RAF MUSEUM

This is the time of year when nominations for your clubs committee are requested. We hold three to four meetings a year and you will be joining a group of like minded members whose aim is to make the club as good as it can be.

The existing committee members are just like you, male and female Midget and Sprite owners who thoroughly enjoy their cars and who want to make sure other club members get the most out of their membership. This is your opportunity to help shape the club, get involved in the introduction of club initiatives and be instrumental in delivering value for money service to our membership. If you have an interest in the way the club is run and even if you think that you have nothing to offer, please consider applying as you’d be surprised at the many ways that you can help.

Candidates will not have to stand for a particular committee position but simply put their name forward to be a committee member.

If you wish to stand for election to the committee for the following year, then please complete the form below. Enter your name, sign and add your membership number. You will need a proposer too. All nominees and proposers must be fully paid up members. Joint members are also eligible to stand.

Completed nomination forms must reach the company secretary, Glyn Polly, by 31st July.

Name Signature Membership No Date

………………………… …………………………… ………………….. ………………

Proposer Signature Membership No Date

………………………… …………………………… ………………….. ………………

Completed forms should be sent to:

Glyn Polly, 7 Long Close, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, BS32 8BG

Or by email to: glyn.polly@ymail.com

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OUR STORY: EDITED BY IAN COOKE

A LIVING HISTORY BY PETER OHORN

A report of the escapes from East Germany with a Sprite.The first escape at the height of the Cold War had been by Heinz Meixner, who defected from East to West Berlin in the name of love in 1963, together with his future wife and mother-in-law to be.

Meixner decided to drive under one of the steel beams that stretch across the narrow exits in the Wall. He chose Checkpoint Charlie, and riding a borrowed motor scooter, stalled it while the guard checked his passport. Meixner managed to measure the height of the barrier. It was only 37 1/2 inches (95 cm) above the pavement.

Meixner began a painstaking survey of West Berlin`s car rental agencies to find an automobile low enough to slip under the barrier. He selected a sports car, a red Austin-Healey Sprite. Without its windshield the sports car measured 35 1/2 inches (90 cm) in height.

A few hours before starting he removed the windshield and, for added insurance, let some air out of the tires to lower the car even further. Margarete huddled in the tiny section behind the driver`s seat. Meixner`s future mother-in-law was crammed into the cramped luggage area. For protection against possible gunfire, Meixner had surrounded her with 30 bricks.

Sunday, May 5, 1963. It was time for the run. In the early-morning darkness, Meixner drove to the first barricade on the East Berlin side of the checkpoint.

He displayed his passport to the guard, who motioned him on to the customs shed. Instead he gunned the motor, whizzed around the vertical bars and skidded past the startled guard. Before the guards could fire their submachine guns, Meixner raced to the last steel bar, ducked his head, floored the accelerator and rocketed into West Berlin. He was traveling so fast that when he finally hit the brakes the tires left 96-foot-long skid marks.

Extract from the full article at

www.rarehistoricalphotos.com/heinz-meixner-defect-removing-windshield-1963/

There is also a second known incident using a Sprite in 1964…

At full throttle into freedomOctober 1964 in Freiburg: The Hechinger student Karl Heinz Schäfer gets out of the specially purchased escape car, an English Austin sports car. 

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Karl Heinz Schäfer publicly reported on the escape in the James Bond manner for the first time.

Karl Heinz Schäfer had met his future wife Magdalena in 1957 via a pen pal. The first time they met three years later, when the high school graduate from Hohenzollern was on a school trip to Berlin. The wall construction in 1961 interrupted the relationship abruptly. An exit from the GDR was strictly prohibited. The couple tried anyway - and was laughed at by the East German bureaucrats.

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From September 27, 1964, both were together again. However, it took a high-risk action. 

Everything had been planned down to the last detail: The student had bought an older Austin sports car - a convertible whose windshield could be folded down. That had a good reason: On said September day the then 23 -year-old drove at dusk slowly to the border crossing Pressburg / Vienna. Just before the barrier that separated the east from the west, he gave full throttle, ducked his head and rushed to Austria.

The escape had been a secret thing, even the families had known nothing. If the escape had been betrayed at the time, it would certainly have meant many years for both in the East German prison.

You can find the original full article online at:

www.swp.de/suedwesten/staedte/hechingen/mit-vollgas-in-die-freiheit-21720127.html

At the Exhibition Retro Classic 2019 in Stuttgart from 8-10th March 2019, The Spridget Register were there with three cars (www.spridgets.net in German) and had reconstructed the refugee scenes at the border crossing. We built a barrier to try to give the scene a little life. 

On Saturday the Family Schäfer visited us on the stand. 54 years after their escape.

They recounted their story about the event and we could feel the history.

The first escape had resulted in steel bars being added to the underside of the barrier there, so

Mr.Schäfer searched for another place. Found it at Czech Republic near Bratislava. A small sleepy border crossing. Magdalena, his wife was on official holidays with an organised group. Mr.Schäfer picked her up in the evening, drove to the border, unscrewed the windscreen and made the run around midnight. Shooting occurred but didn’t

hit the car. Magdalena, his wife was lying behind the seats and the boot was prepared with steel plates. As we didn’t know that before the show our Magdalena was in the trunk.

In summary he drove under three barriers. 

Once there they spent their first night in freedom at an Austrian prison. Next day Magdalena got her preliminary passport at the German embassies. Job done!

I was on the show from Thursday to Saturday and we met a lot of interesting people. On Sunday I stayed at home. Too much, I’m getting old!

There were three Spridgets on our stand. The red Sprite belongs to Roland Dieterle, a racer with more than 100hp, as well the green Frog from Ulrich Echterhoff. A very special car. The blue one belongs to Thomas Klein. 

The original Austin Healey Sprite getaway car from 1963 was a LHD - HAN6L 18675 in red color.

Mr. Schaefer bought the Healey from the dealer “Paulinen-Garage” in Stuttgart. A garage for the Roots Group - Hillman, Humber, Sunbeam and Commer, also Triumph and Austin.

Picture shows Magdalena in light blue jacket and to her left her husband Mr.Schäfer talking with a very interested guest.

Cheers Peter

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DAKS OVER NORMANDY8TH JUNE 2019

Fubar is an American acronym to explain when some thing does not go to plan. It certainly applied to the delivery of the official ‘Daks over Normandy’ 75th year since the D-Day invasion celebration event, that applied to the French section, upon which our tour was based which saw thirteen Sprites, Midgets, and one derivative travel to Normandy.

What unfolded was not exactly what was to be expected:

D-Day HistoryJune the 6th 1944. Without a doubt one of the most important dates in modern history.

It marks the date on which almost 160.000 Allied troops stormed the Normandy beaches to start the liberation of Western-Europe. The assault was preceded by 24.000 troops who parachuted in or came by glider. The most important aircraft to support the airborne assault was formed by over 800 Douglas C-47 Skytrains (Dakotas). These winged work horses carried the brunt of all men into battle across the English Channel and may well be called the “Unsung Heroes”. In June 2019 the D-Day Invasion will see her 75th commemoration. It will most probably be the very last large commemoration of this historic day.

The EventJune 2019 provides us with the very last opportunity to organise Daks over Normandy and to honor (sic) those who have paid so much to liberate Europe. Daks over Normandy will be a once in a lifetime event. The skies over the United Kingdom and Normandy, France will be filled with Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakotas and hundreds of Paratroopers. For the first time since World War II will this many of these magnificent aircraft be assembled in the very place where they saw their finest hour. From 2 to 9 June 2019 over thirty DC-3/C-47’s will come together. Their owners and operators fly them in from all over the Globe. From Scandinavia, The Netherlands and the rest of Europe, from Canada and the United States and even from as far away as Australia. All for what may well prove the very last time. Just so everyone can watch paratroopers jump over Normandy once more and admire these wonderful aircraft on the ground and in the air, where they belong.

The Daks over Normandy event is held in two locations: from 2 to 5 June at Duxford Airfield in the United Kingdom and from 5 to 9 June at Caen Carpiquet Airport in Normandy, France! Both locations where carefully chosen because of their facilities and their infrastructure and because of their World War II heritage.

On 5 June 2019 we will follow into the footsteps of the Greatest Generation! About 250 men and women will board the aircraft in the United Kingdom to, exactly like 75 years before, fly across the English Channel and to jump into the historic drop zones of Normandy. They will be wearing WWII style Allied uniforms and will jump military round parachutes. It will be an event which has no equal. History in the making. Again! Just like in 1944.

During the Airport open days everyone can come, see and touch the aircraft up, close and personal. They will be open so you can take a look inside. They will fly so you can see them in their natural element.  And the paratroopers in their WW2 style uniforms will jump and will prepare for their jumps amongst the aircraft. At the air market you can find and buy your hearts’ delight in all kinds of aviation related items. It will all be a sight to behold, creating unique photo opportunities and a wonderful day out for each and every one.

TOUR 58 JUNE 2019

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Our Tour 4th - 8th June 2018.The weather was not kind!

By the evening of 4th June 2019, at the Hotel Drakkar in Pont-Audemar, France, we had thirteen Sprites, Midgets & a derivative lined up, in the Hotel Car park, belonging to Masc members representing Devon, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Sussex, Surrey, & Kent Areas with a guest passenger, Rick Filmer from Utah America. The Hotel was ‘interesting’: a bar without beer, a restaurant seemingly without a chef, and a lounge that ‘closed’ at 2200hrs with all sent off to bed like children. The rooms were compact with minimal lighting & no shower curtains but I was later advised, by an employee of Normandy Tourism, that perhaps I should have sought accommodation two years in advance. Fancy a coffee before bedtime: no chance! Being British we survived!

5th June 2019. 75 years ago the Pathfinders parachuted into the area. Demolition and recon’ ahead of the main battle group on 6th - D.Day.

Originally the event was a parachute drop at DZ-N (Ranville) but had changed to DZ-K (Sannerville). Fortunately I had checked the information supplied to discover the change. I steered our convoy to within walking distance of the drop zone even though signposting was non-existant.

Not part of the ‘Daks over Normandy’ event but preceding was a drop by British Air Assault Brigade supported by French Paras. This did not disappoint for after being treated to a Supermarine Spitfire, with ‘invasion markings’, performing for us a Dakota led four Hercules across our viewpoint making four passes dropping paratroops on each pass.

The Red Devils were waiting on the ground expecting two veterans to drop, piggy back, from two Dakotas but these Dakotas had not materialised. The senior officer was not pleased!

Would the main event take place at 1630hrs when thirty odd Dakotas, assembled from across the globe, with period fighter escort, were expected with some dropping a mass of parachutists. The S.O. Red Devils thought not. Apparently there is an 1800hr cut off for parachute drops? At 1630hrs a solitary Dakota shed a group of parachutists but what of the main flight. There was no intelligence, but much rumour, available. Some quit the area whilst some stayed firm. The event took place at 1930hrs. Those that had left enjoyed a meal at Honfleur harbour instead!

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6th June 2019 D-Day. Today we we left the D-Day zone travelling south to outside Vimoutiers to view a German WW2 Tank still where it ran out of fuel all those years ago. We then moved on to the Memorial de Montmorel a monument and Museum dedicated to the Falaise Pocket: the encirclement of the German Army by Brits’, Poles & Canadians and the Germans attempts to escape through a closing gap which came to be known as the ‘Corridor of Death’. After a film show, an explanation of the event across the panoramic, now peaceful, vista and viewing the various display artefacts we retired to nearby Camembert to stock up on the famous cheese.

7th June 2019 was an official ‘Daks over Normandy’ ticket event at Caen airport for which we had paid. No food was allowed to be taken into the event. Fortunately most ignored this rule. There was to be a ‘Park & ride’ with parking for 2000 cars and shuttle buses. We had the devils own time of locating the un-signposted car park wherein we joined barely a hundred cars. Of the promised Shuttle buses there were none: with no signs to the airport either. We were indebted to Fran from Tourism Normandy who managed to get a regular bus to go ‘off route’ to drop us at a bus stop for the number 3 to the airport. The driver of the number three ‘waived’ the fare. Even at the airport the event had no signage. Now consider the parking for

2000 cars. Take a ‘guesstimate’ at roughly 4000 souls then attending the event. Four ‘Portaloos’, one Frites Stall, one coffee stall, one ‘Book a flight’ stall (not that there was any sign of a flight) and that was about it: not even a regalia stall. There were Dakotas a plenty parked on the aerodrome outfield but you could not get near them let alone on them as expected. A chance to meet the parachutists? Were they playing ‘Hide & Seek’? Were there more than fifty spectators? I will admit that the weather was not good but two P51 Mustangs were ready to fly but Air Traffic Control would, allegedly, not grant permission for take-off until the pilots seemingly got fed up and wanted to leave for ‘Blighty’. We did see them leave! Of three Harvards two were covered: perhaps the pilots were catching some shut-eye beneath the covers. Daks over Normandy - Fubar! An American visitor in American Military uniform, whom I spoke to, described it as a ‘cluster fcuk’!

Now you might think that the Tour was a disaster but with all the failings of the ‘Daks over Normandy’ official event, the Hotel being the Normandy equivalent of ‘Fawlty Towers’, and the somewhat inclement weather, the Masc participants were very complimentary making ‘our’ event worthwhile!

Pictures supplied by the ‘participants’.

Alan

Kent Rep. 01322-384050 Answerphone.

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PRESS RELEASE21 MAY 2019 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs announce results of 2019 Cost of Ownership Survey

• Number of historic vehicles on DVLA database has increased to 1,241,863.

• 9.8m people in the UK are interested in historic vehicles.

• Average distance covered by an historic vehicle is 2,214 miles per annum.

• 21m people see historic vehicles as an important element of the UKs heritage.

• 11.3m people think historic vehicles should be exempt from restrictions of low and ultra-low emissions imposed on other vehicles.

• 5.1m people are interested in owning an historic vehicle.

• 60% of owners say owning an historic vehicle is one of the most important things in their life.

• An owner spends an average of £1,489 per historic vehicle per annum.

The results of the 2019 National Cost of Ownership Survey have been announced by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs. The summary results were revealed at a press conference within the Houses of Parliament on 14 May with the full research document now available to download on the FBHVC website at: https://www.fbhvc.co.uk/research .

Historically, the Federation has undertaken major research projects every 5 years, the most recent being the 2016 National Historic Vehicle Survey. Back then, the data revealed that the historic vehicle industry employed 34,900 people and generated £5.5 billion towards the UK economy. However, to gain more up-to-date insights into the attitudes and interest in transport heritage and the ever-evolving pressures on enthusiasts using yesterday’s vehicles on tomorrow’s roads, the Federation has produced its first ever ‘mid-term’ survey.

The aims of the 2019 National Cost of Ownership SurveyThis mid-term, national survey was split into two areas:

The first, carried out by Kantar Research, examined the behaviours and attitudes of the UKs adult population towards historic vehicles.

The second, focused on obtaining detailed information on the costs of ownership for historic vehicle enthusiasts from respondents within the Federation’s member clubs.

Furthermore, in response to the difficulties that some of the Federation’s member clubs have cited regarding the recruitment of younger members, the survey also sought to identify differences in attitudes and behaviours between different generations.

Positive attitudesThe attitudes towards historic vehicles were shown to be positive on the whole, with 21 million people in the UK seeing historic vehicles as an important element of the UKs heritage. Encouragingly, that represents nearly a third of the UK population.

Furthermore, 9.1 million people said that they had a specific interest in historic transport and 4.6 million people went a step further and responded with an interest in actually owning an historic vehicle at some point in the future.

Even more encouraging, is that the results reveal that the level of interest in owning an historic vehicle at some point in the future, is strongest amongst younger adults, indicating positive news for the future. However, the figure of 5.1 million agreeing that they would like to own an historic vehicle but cannot afford it, indicates that purchase and running costs are still perceived as a barrier to entry for new owners.

Of some concern was that the results of the attitudinal questions suggest that younger people do not identify as closely with the issues and challenges around historic vehicles that are understood by older generations, revealing that there is still work to be done in respect of educating younger generations on the threats to the sector.

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One such threat is the ability for historic vehicles to enter our city centres in the future. In that regard, the British public showed support for historic transport retaining access to our city centres, with 11.3 million people in the UK of the opinion that historic vehicles should be exempt from the restrictions of low and ultra-low emissions that are to be imposed on other vehicles.

More vehicles, travelling further.Growth in previous years in the historic vehicle industry (as shown in the 2016 study), has resulted in an increase of 201,913 historic vehicles registered with the DVLA over the 2016 figures to 1,241,863.

The figures show that the mileage covered by these historic vehicles has also increased since 2016, with the average distance now 2,214 miles per year. That represents quite a significant increase on the 1,124 miles per year shown by the 2016 research, so the possibility of a more enthusiast based sample group this time around, coupled with the record-breaking temperatures of last summer, have no doubt had a hand in that result.

Use of historic vehicles has kept spending healthy, with the average owner spending an average of £1,489 per vehicle each year indicative of a buoyant sector that is investing in the use and enjoyment of historic vehicles.

The motivations behind such spending appear, from the results, to stem from the desire of enthusiasts to enjoy the lifestyle that surrounds historic vehicles. This is further backed up by the statistic that 3 million people attend historic vehicle events each year and a rather heart-warming insight reveals that 60% of owners say that owning an historic vehicle is one of the most important things in their life.

David Whale, Chairman of the FBHVC said,

“Whilst I can confirm that public enthusiasm for and interest in, the historic vehicle sector continues to be very strong, there are changes that will affect all historic vehicle enthusiasts. This mid-term research is incredibly useful to monitor progress at such a time of rapid change. The Federation celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018 and it is clear that if we are to celebrate a further 30 years,

as enthusiasts with a common interest, we must all focus on communicating and engaging with younger people to ensure they develop an interest in historic vehicles.”

David Whale added,

“I must thank the Federation’s partners for their assistance in ensuring the Federation had suitable resources to conduct this research. Without the support of Cambridge and Counties Bank, Duckhams Oil, Vintage Tyres, Peter James Insurance and King Dick Tools, this survey would not have been possible.”

The FBHVC confirms that the next major survey will be published in 2021 and it welcomes participation from everyone with an interest in the historic vehicle movement, in order to collate crucial information that will assist in the defence of the historic vehicle movement’s freedom to continue to educate and bring enjoyment to millions via the UKs roads.

For enquiries, please contact:

Emma Balaam, 01708 223111, secretary@fbhvc.co.uk

Editor’s notes

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs exists to maintain the freedom of its members to use historic vehicles on the UK’s roads, hence its campaign message: ‘Yesterday’s Vehicles on Tomorrow’s Roads’.  The FBHVC has over 540 member clubs representing over 250,000 individual owners.

Website: www.fbhvc.co.uk

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RESTORING A FROGEYEBY NEIL MCLEOD

In the September of 2013, bad news was delivered to me, though it was not a total surprise, my much loved & travelled 1959 Frogeye Sprite, which I had owned for ten years, had a serious floor problem, major rot from the dreaded rust bug!!!!

Having taken advice, with an estimate to repair into the thousands & me being a mean bugger when it comes to spending my own money, I really wanted to repair her myself. She had become not just a car, but MANDY, and was deep rooted in my heart.

So decision time. I would have to do the job myself and at this point I should mention that I have no engineering experience, as I’m a Ladies Hairdresser by trade. I would need to learn alot and I would have

to make up or invent ways to enable me to manage to do most of the work on my own. Luckily in my job you need to be very creative, which is where my first challenge began. How to work underneath the car and turn her belly up? But as luck would have it where I have my lock up garage, a scaffolding company lives next door.

They came up trumps and loaned me 1 x 4 m tube and 9 x 1 m tubes and clamps, from which I constructed a spit. The long tube went down the prop shaft tunnel with a wooden block made with a hole the same circumference as the tube. It was also shaped to fit within the rear end of the prop tunnel, with a short tube across the engine bay and a wood block at each side to avoid any damage to the panels.

The remaining tubes were used to make an “A” frame at each end to support the centre tube, which was lifted in place with an engine crane, It didn’t look pretty, but worked well enough & was very steady.

With this in place I would have no problem cutting out the old rusty steel, but never having done any welding before and not wanting to do any more than was necessary and not to weld across the door gap in order to maintain the body shape.

At this point it was time to order some New Steel panels and the deep pocket mode took over. Now

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there was no turning back, I either had a car at the end, or a heap of expensive scrap. The nerves kicked in and I started to wonder if I had taken on too much? Well it was too late to turn back now.

More panels were on order , inner & outer heel boards, complete spring hangers, both sides , inner & outer sills both sides, 2 repair “A” posts , 4X rear wheel arch repair sections , 2 for each side, One I used to repair the inner wheel arch by bending it into shape and weld in place before the second was used to cover the rear outer wing. It was a tricky job but it worked well without having to remove the whole rear wing.

Now with a new & bigger gas bottle the welding was becoming much better.

I started the restoration in October 2013 with a hope to finish the following June 2014, in time for the Le Mans Classic , a trip we had already planned, NO pressure then.

With everything off the car and the body work well underway, I decided to send the engine for an overhaul, though it had never given me any trouble in truth it had been the best bit of Mandy. I will come back to the engine story in due course. With one side now complete, time to rotate and start side two, with lessons learnt.

The Door fit on side one was not perfect but the gap was passable and the new floors were looking good and this gave me renewed strength to carry on.

Moving on, the body steel work & welding was now done, I think in some ways the next part of applying filler and rubbing down to get the shell ready for primer , took me much longer than expected and it was hard to see what had been done in what seemed to be very long day’s.

Now it was ready for primer and cellulose BRG. Again, never having done a complete re spray, I had first to build a spray booth from poly sheet. A good few coats of BRG were applied to the underneath, this was left to harden before Mandy was taken from her spit, for which I enlisted the help of friends, Les & John. I had made a pallet up with four strong wheels, which Mandy could rest on, so I could now move her around the garage much easier when I was doing the rest of the painting.

It felt like I might be able to make my deadline after all. It was already March by now and I needed to have her up and running by May, as Mandy would need to get some miles under her belt before a long trip.

I was changing to disc brakes and had found some on eBay, £50 per side , but the calipers were seized and after getting a price to refurbish them, it was

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cheaper to buy new ones. All the suspension was cleaned & painted in chassis black.

Everything went back together without too much of a problem, but she was still sitting about 2” too high, so a pair wedges from Peter May were ordered and fitted under the spring in the rear spring box, and that did the job of lowering her by about 1 1/2 “.

Mandy was now finished and ready for a shake down. All seemed to be going well until on a short trip to meet a friend and the oil pressure suddenly dropped. I was hoping it was only a problem with the pipe to the oil gauge but no such luck, on dipping the oil it was all completely lost!! After only 15 miles or so it was a trip home courtesy of the AA!

Mike Bennett, a friend from MASCOT came to my rescue! He said, as I had put in so much work trying to get her ready in time, he would come over from Warrington to Preston, pick her up on his car trailer and take the engine out at his place. I was so relieved as I didn’t think I could face doing it again. The engine was soon out, where we found the crankcase to be very oily and it looked like the gasket had failed! On dismantling, we also found one of the locating pins floating around inside the cover. Could this be the problem.

A new pump & gasket were fitted as there was no other obvious reason, so the engine was refitted, all this was done in less than two days.

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But hope was short lived. Same problem, loss of oil, this time it was very clear where it was flowing from, the crankcase breather pipe.

The engine would have to come out yet again. It was found the oil rings were compressed & being of little or no use, so it would have to be a re-bore of 20 thou over and a set of new pistons. Another £500 bit the dust. I was feeling quite queasy by now.

Unfortunately there was now no way Mandy was going on holiday to France. I went to Le Mans anyway, in another MG I owned however.

Safely back home, the engine was now back having had yet another re-build. She was running well with some 500 miles under her belt. However it now developed a brake problem.

On talking to as many people as possible, the general opinion seemed to be because I had changed to disc brakes, the master cylinder would need to be changed from 7/8th to ¾”, so after a quick ring around one was found. I was still not sure this would solve the brakes locking on under pressure but the change was made and as I had thought, didn’t make any difference at all. It was obvious there was more to this problem. Then Eureka. A small dent was found in the front right brake pipe, which was the only brake pipe for some reason I had not changed. It had been run in the past in a bad place on top of the wishbone and with the new soft bump stops, under heavy braking, just nipped the brake pipe.

The Radiator was out to get access to the brake pipe and a new one was fitted in a better routed

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place. It was now only two days to go before we set off for Holland for a Spridget gathering.

North West Branch of MASC had 6 members going to the Netherlands, so some of us arranged to meet up and drive down to Dover together. After about 50 miles I noticed the clutch was slipping and on stopping I adjusted the push rod & this seemed to work, not to make this story too long this situation with the push rod on both the brakes and clutch continued. We stayed overnight in Dover, then we set off to the docks for the 8am ferry. Suddenly the brakes had gone.

Alan Anstead was close at hand and jumped in the driver’s seat to pump the brakes. I loosened the bleed nipples, but a leaking pipe union was found & tightened, job done. With two minutes to go we got on to the ferry. We were both so relieved as we came so close to missing the boat. On leaving the ferry we had about a 195k to the hotel & Mandy ran very well. The next morning we set off to The Healey Museum , within a mile or two the disc brakes were binding on again !, Good job I keep my spanners under the bonnet a quick turn on the bleed nipples & we manage to arrive at the Museum. By this time I had used up all the adjustment on the

push rods. So with the handy mole grip vice & junior hacksaw that Alan Anstead carries with him, the push rod out ¼” was cut off the end. The following day we were going to Zandvoort race track, The DTM were racing on the day and we would have 30 minutes track time at the end of the day. That was good as again the bonnet was up on Mandy & I was going to shorten the pushrod on the clutch as I was still not happy with It and it was going to be a long run home so with pushrod out, one of the race teams loaned me the use of a vice & hacksaw, job done.

Mandy had a very nice time on the track, though I didn’t push her to much, as her engine had still only done 1500 miles since the second re-build.

The story didn’t end there though, on the way home two pistons melted and we and Mandy had to be conveyed home courtesy of our breakdown insurance.

Since this time, Mandy has been to Cologne for a Spridget meeting and this year will be off to Angouleme.

Thank you my friends in MASC for all your help and advice.

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BLEEDIN’ HELLBY ALAN ANSTEAD

See also:

Page 20 June 2018 Mascot article ‘Remote Bleed system’.

Page 19 July 2018 Mascot article ‘On bleeding the clutch’ by Dr John Davies.

In his article ‘On bleeding the clutch’ Dr John Davies explains how it is possible to trap a small pocket of air in the clutch slave cylinder that, seemingly, no amount of bleeding will shift.

When it comes to component castings it appears that they can vary manufacturer to manufacturer and even type to type so what applies to the slave cylinder that I have modified may or may not apply to every type. The casting that I have modified is from an unknown manufacturer and supplier and is of one inch bore as fitted to 1275 A-Series engine cars. At some point in the ‘mists of time’ I have had a stainless steel liner fitted. It is of the type that carries it’s seal ‘piggy back’ upon the piston. The piston is designed, stepped at its rear face, for loose attachment / alignment of the return spring. There is no piston retaining circlip on ‘my’ clutch slave cylinder.

The other type of slave cylinder generally has a piston then seal, a seal spreader, and a smaller diameter return spring.

The modification is only applicable to those that have already fitted, or are willing to fit, a remote bleed system as described in my June 2018 Mascot article using a flexible hose. That is because the drilling removes the bleed nipple seating that would also be necessary to support a remote bleed with a brake pipe instead of a flexible hose.

Simply I used an 8.5mm (3/8” UNF tapping) drill to drill down through the bleed nipple port and remove the seating for use with a nipple or hard line pipe. In this case the the remaining hole removes the cavity where the air bubble previously hid. Any slight burring around the hole, that cannot be removed, where it breaks into the operational bore of the slave cylinder, is well away from any contact with the piston and rubber seal.

The enlarged hole can just be seen, at the top of the cylinder, at the far end of the bore in the picture.

As an addition to the remote bleed I also use a Goodridge automatic bleed valve.

Bleeding should be possible as a one man operation not from within the vehicle’s cockpit but under the bonnet just by applying pressure, on and off, to the clutch slave cylinder pushrod where everything is within sight and reach.

Alan Anstead, Kent Rep.

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At the end of the article on top 20 improvements to my 1967 Mk IV Sprite (see MASC February and March 2009, was it really that long ago?) I promised an update on my exploits with a 3D ignition for my car fitted with a Moss blower. So, what is 3D ignition and why do I need it? In simple terms 3D (three dimensional) ignition is one that sets the timing of the spark (the first dimension) in relation to two other parameters: rpm and manifold pressure, the second and third dimensions. These are also sometimes referred to as mapped ignitions. In truth any mechanical distributer with a vacuum advance is strictly 3D, albeit a simple approximation of it. I say approximation as usually these are linear devices being limited to mechanical springs and bob weights so any map they follow is very rudimentary, and they certainly cannot normally cope with boost (ie a manifold pressure above atmospheric pressure) as on a supercharger setup. In my case the car did not even have a vacuum advance, as being an early 1275 it had a 23D4 dizzy.

Usually with a supercharger installed and a standard distributer, you must retard the ignition to prevent the possibility of pre-ignition (pinking, knocking or pinging if you are on the other side of the pond) especially when under heavy load. This is good as far as it goes, but what it means is

that for all the part-load conditions, the timing is compromised, and the engine will not be working at its most efficient. This is fine if you are racing and you don’t really care about efficiency or tractability at part throttle, but for road use where a wide range of throttle response is beneficial, something more sophisticated is needed. Compare the 23D4 and 25D4 timings with a typical 3D map in the two figures above.

BY GERI SWANN-PRICE

TECHNICAL 3D-IGNITION

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Having run the car for a couple of years with retarded ignition (which did provide great fun provided you treated the throttle carefully at low rpm otherwise you could get tremendous backfires to amuse fellow road users when pulling away sharply at roundabouts) I’d saved up enough pennies to buy a new ignition system. There were several systems available including the 123 system from the Dutch company which looked promising except that at the time they could only offer 16 pre-set maps which may or may not have suited my engine and could not cope with supercharging. The other alternatives were; CANEMS, Alpha, KMS, Edis, Megajolt, Megaspark and Megasquirt. Some are for ignition only, others can do both ignition and fuel mapping for petrol injection. The latter two looked most cost effective and after seeking advice from other Spridgeteers, chose the Megasquirt system as being only a few pounds more expensive than Megaspark could offer me fuelling as well as spark timing at some future date if I decided I needed to go that way. But for the moment I shall stick with my HIF44 SU for fuelling as it is probably more in keeping with the period of the car.

Having made the decision to stick with the SU I also wanted the ignition to look standard, which basically meant it had to be invisible to the naked eye. This would mean keeping the standard ignition coil together with the distributer and not installing a timing wheel on the crankshaft, but more of this later. I took the plunge and invested £350 on a MegaSquirt ECU kit from EFI Extra. All I had to do now was fit it and tune it up……….

The first thing to do was modify the distributer so that the centrifugal advance and the vacuum system were disabled such that the timing of the rotor arm was fixed. As I did not want to destroy my original dizzy, a cooking 45D4 was obtained, the vacuum bellows together with the springs and bob

weights removed and an aluminium disc machined up to lock the drive shaft to the rotor arm shaft, see left figure. I could have used the points to trigger the ECU but as I did not want points wear to change the timing, the points were replaced with a Lumenition Magnetronic trigger. While I was at it, the hole once occupied by the vacuum bellows was filled with a greed LED so that I could time the distributor easily, see figure overleaf. The ECU was mounted out of sight on the underside of the driver’s footwell and the required wires connected. Additionally, a small-bore pipe was used to connect the pressure sensor in the ECU to the delivery side of the blower on the inlet manifold. The distributer was timed using the LED to trigger at 8o BTDC, essentially

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the most retarded I wanted to run the engine and the appropriate timing to start the engine. The ECU was then connected to my laptop and a preliminary engine map loaded and the trigger point set to 8o BTDC to match the dizzy. For the first engine run the ignition map was disabled and a fixed timing of 16o BTDC was set up using the PC. Now the moment of truth: would it start? I must admit it did not start first time but after a few goes it fired up and ran smoothly. So out with the timing light and adjust the distributer timing to ensure I actually had the 16o the ECU was promising. Then changing the timing on the PC incrementally, checked the actual timing over as wide a range as I could with the timing light: I’m lucky as with the A+ engine I have a set of timing marks on the pulley for 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20o BTDC. All looked well so set the ECU to follow the map and blip the throttle a few times to see if it was varying the timing as it should. It was time for a test drive!

It was immediately noticeable how smooth the engine was even with my first estimate of a map. All went well until I’d been running for about half an hour when it suddenly started misfiring and eventually ground to a halt…. Panic. Too far away from home to push it back, so checked all the wiring, felt the ECU to see if it had overheated/burnt-out, but no, all seemed well. Curious. By this time half an hour had elapsed so again not wishing to resort to manpower, tried to start it. Fired up straight away so quickly drove home and into the garage. Left the motor running whist I checked under bonnet for any signs of something awry. Nothing found, the timing was still perfect. But again after about 30 minutes of running, it started to idle roughly and eventually died. This happened 3 or 4 times, so to check the coil, distributer cap, rotor arm, plugs etc I put the old dizzy back. Fired right up and drove for about an hour with no issues. Very curious. What in the ECU could be causing it to misfire??

At this time I was very busy at work, so the project was put in abeyance until I had time to sort it. After about 6 months of enjoying the car in its again retarded state, lo and behold it started the same caper but this time with the standard ignition set up: after a long run it would start to misbehave, but let it cool down for half an hour all would be well again. After many changes of coils, plugs, rotor arms, caps, leads etc all of which seems to solve it temporarily, I suddenly twigged what was going on. You’ve guessed it: this was the time of the duff batch of rotor arms that had hit the market! So a

red rotor (see figure above) from Distributor Doctor was sent for and this fixed the problem with the mechanical setup. Time to reconnect the ECU and try again. Hurray, problem solved! It would appear with 20:20 hindsight that the more powerful spark form the ECU setup had exposed the rotor arm defect sooner than the cooler spark generated by the mechanical ignition system. Touch wood, its been fine ever since.

I was about this time I bought a Bluetooth adapter from EFI Extra so that I could play with the state of tune using my mobile phone (or Tablet) and the MSdroid app. This is a fantastic setup as not only can you adjust the map (and any of the other parameters for that matter) easily without the palaver of setting up a PC, but you can also use it as an additional set of instruments to monitor all kinds of things both diagnostically in the garage and on the move in the car. This includes not only all the things the ECU is set up to measure or calculate but also all the things your phone can measure! Things such as: GPS position, GPS speed, accelerations (in X, Y and Z planes). The latter I have yet to find useful due to the amount of noise superimposed on the readings. For these some cleaver filtering is required to make the data collected more valuable. The screen shot from my phone on the left shows from top to bottom: GPS speed, manifold air pressure (MAP), a red bar indicating any knocks, mixture strength (lambda) and spark timing (in this case showing 10o BTDC).

The mobile is also very convenient for data logging and gathering similar data, so you can spend many a cold winter’s evenings analysing it and tinkering with the ignition map etc. In fact, you can get the logger to record your exact position on the

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road (or track for that matter) so you can check; acceleration times, speed, G pulled, RPM, manifold pressure, spark timing, engine temperature, lambda reading, engine knocks etc etc, see the screen shot above. For some of these, additional sensors are required such as; a lambda sensor in the exhaust, an electrical temperature sensor (in the spare hole in the head), knock detector on the block, inlet manifold temperature sensor and so on, but these are not essential for ignition mapping.

With the benefit of hindsight what would I have done differently? Well I could have done without the 3 or 4 duff rotor arms that delayed me considerably in getting the system up and running reliably, but apart from that I would have used a trigger wheel behind the crank pulley rather than rely on the dizzy. For the right period look I would have stayed with the rotor arm (despite the issues with them) and cap to send the spark to the right plug rather than go to twin coils and the wasted spark setup which would immediately give the game away. I realise now the trigger wheel and sensor could have been tucked out of sight deep in the engine bay. So why the trigger wheel? Well the accuracy of the timing is very good when the engine is running at medium to high speed, but at cranking speeds and very low rpm with only one trigger point per firing stroke (ie every 180o) the accuracy is poor especially as the starter motor slows down as you get to full

compression. It also took me a while to realise that I could accurately set the timing on the starter using the trigger return command which is why the value of 8o BTDC was finally chosen. Also, I would not have needed to lock the distributor although this does make it more reliable as this eliminates some moving parts. One day I may utilise the fuel injection capabilities of the Megasquirt setup which should improve things further, but for the moment I shall be sticking with the SU. One word of caution: for those still running with a dynamo and mechanical regulator I know of several instances where the regulator cutting in and out is suspected of upsetting the electronics of some fancy ignition systems.

In summary a 3D or Mapped ignition will significantly improve the performance of any Spridget motor, as in mid-range smoothness, tractability, torque and economy, but probably not much in the way of out and out top-end power. In particular this supercharged engine is now very tractable, pulling from 1,000 revs in o/d top (20 mph) and this is all due to the mapped ignition.

Geri Swann-Price

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CAMBRIDGESHIREAREAREPORT

Two superb midgets brought their owners to our last meeting, Chris Waters visiting from the Bedford area in his red Mk4 and Rob Butterworth in his newly acquired green Mk4, also new member from Norfolk joining us for the first time Rob Langley currently restoring his Sprite Mk4 so we hope to view that soon – welcome all.

Three of our cars, with wives included, travelled to Earsham Hal near Bungay Norfolk on the spring bank holiday Sunday, meeting up with Steve Nash and son on route in his ‘66 Sebring Sprite.

We have visited this event for a few years as it has a diverse attraction of motors, bikes, tractors and war vehicles, also live music and usual stalls food outlets and car memorabilia, some of which had to be taken home with us.

Enfield Pageant of Motoring was the next outing for Chris and myself, this is a large event with a mass of car jumble which included a 1950’s Lambretta model ‘D’ which I ran in the 60’s (should I have enquired)? Among other machines there was a rare 1926 Jowett seven tourer with wooden spokes proudly displayed. A stunning display in the arena saw Jammie Squib perform alarming stunts on his motorbike at heights reaching 30 ft or more.

The DfT are to introduce ‘noise cameras’ for a trial period of 7 months, and will take into account the surrounding environment, speed of the road and category of vehicle. The current limit was set at 74dB by the EU in 1995 and it is understood that levels will be set considerably lower.

Will this mean that sports cars such as ours with standard exhaust systems will be penalised after

the trial period? And hopefully representations are being made on our behalf to include us in a category that has more tolerance for our old cars as surely we are not the ‘villains’ here.

Graham Kirkup Frogeye TVS 664

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CENTRALAREAREPORT

A midweek Central run out has been talked about at meetings for some time. A day and place to go were agreed and we just needed the Sun Gods to shine down on us to make for a great day out. Meeting near Hinckley in Leicestershire I arrived to find Gary Morris already parked up. We were quickly joined by Andrew Parrott, Elaine Parkes, Martin Parkes, Gary Hendon and after a detour along the A5 Geoff Mears. Setting off with hoods down we made our way along the Fosse Way towards the British Motor Museum in Gaydon. Taking a small diversion to view the historic Chesterton Windmill the run was Englishness at it’s best. Passing through places named Princethorpe and Hunningham Hill alongside fields of barley and wheat waving in the wind. We arrived at Gaydon to be greeted by John Wragg who had made his own way there direct from Kinver parked next to a Midget and Sprite Club welcome sign.

Once inside there was plenty to see and do. Some went there own way, others like me joined a guided tour which took us through a history timeline of the British motor industry. We viewed example prototypes of sports cars derived from the Mini but it seems they were never put into production due to the Sprite and Midget being so popular and good sellers. There were other mentions of our favourite cars. In the main display hall an early Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite and the last MG Midget produced were being displayed. Both cars were pristine with the added bonus of being able to see under the raised MG Midget. The time flew by and we were soon making our way through the Warwickshire country side to our next stop the B5000 early evening meet in Dordon. I must admit arriving in convoy as we had been for the entire trip seemed to bring smiles to the assembled crowd and we were soon joined by enthusiasts asking questions and taking pictures.

One final stop was our monthly meeting at the Tame Otter. By this time most people were ready for an early night, however, some members had already set up a table outside so we made the most of the late evening sunshine and food on offer. Justin Bates was sharing his experience of going to an American car show, Dave Sewell was sharing his plans for the Rutland drive at the end of the month, Bill Mckenzie mentioning his recent successful eye operation, Alan Sleigh was talking technical about solving a problem with his car and Bill Mohan chatting about his forthcoming trip to Le Mans. You would have to say the range of topics at a monthly meeting is always varied and inevitably interesting no matter the subject.

Dave Warren Central MASC - Email to central.masc@live.com

Cars lined up outside The British Motor Museum.

The last MG Midget produced on display at the BMM. Justin Bates’ Sprite at the American Auto show.

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DEVONAREAREPORT

We started off May with the Killerton House National Trust Classic Car Show, unfortunately we were a little light on the ground as two of our member cars were off the road, Bob still having his engine rebuilt & Mike Ellis with kingpins & bushes replaced. The weather stayed kind to us so it was hoods down all the way. Cars on show were Barrie & Diane in their Blue Mk2 Midget, Maurice Pyman in his Black Midget (from Somerset Area) Chris & Gill Wood in their Blue Mk3 Sprite.

Sunday 19th May, two sprites and a modern set off for our annual Jersey tour from Torquay & Newton Abbot, on our approach to Dorchester on the A35 we encountered “monsoon” type weather conditions and soon found ourselves driving through flash flood water, the worrying aspect of this was the speed that the oncoming traffic was travelling creating tsmami  type tidal waves which almost overwhelmed our little cars which fortunately kept running and did not cut out.  We all arrived safely at Poole although somewhat soaked !  Poor Dave & Jane Clarkson had been unable to put their hood up and really did get soaked fortunately there was a hair dryer in their bedroom which they used to dry their cloths with !!  Monday was fine & dry so tops off for the big dry out.  The crossing was calm and full sunshine greeted us when we arrived at Jersey.  We had an interesting visit to a 17th Century working flour mill which was informative & interesting ,we visited Gorey & Green Island, walked on the headland at Grosnez Point where we parked the cars by the race course, went in search of Orchids of which we found a field of them, a few of our adventures before returning home on Friday.

Sunday 26th May was Pecorama Classic Car Show, we had four cars on display on our Mascot Stand, Colin Lenox Jones in his Maroon Replica Sebring, Dave Clarkson in his Green Frogeye Sprite,, Rob Powell (from Dorset Area) in his Blue Mk1 Sprite & Chris Wood in his Blue Mk3 Sprite,  it was altogether well attended with a good assortment of various classics where we were able to put out several copies of Mascot into non-member Sprites & Midgets, so hopefully it may come to fruition and bring in some new members, fingers crossed.

Chris Wood 5130

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JOHN’S JOTTINGS - DORSETAREAREPORT

Well, we have finally woken up here in sleepy Dorset and members cars are being seen far and wide.

In early June we had the opportunity to visit the National Police Air Service base at Bournemouth airport and had a very informative and humorous briefing about the work which the helicopter team undertakes.

Really complex professional teamwork when they are airborne on a task – impressive, as is the kit mounted on the helicopter which allows them to loiter, sometimes many miles away, whilst still able to clearly see their ‘target’.

From on-board video shown we learned that a rooftop is not a good place to hide, nor is it a good idea to wear a high-viz jacket when breaking into a home (yes, really!). Thanks to Terry Mobley for organising the visit.

Four of our cars went over to Jersey for their International Festival of Motoring which, despite the grand title, is very accessible and allows opportunities to get up close to some great competition cars and includes hill climbs, a sprint along the seafront and many classic cars on display.

Dave Stebbing had made the arrangements including reserved under cover parking for our cars at the Hotel de France where the hotel looked after us very well. It was good to see other MASC members on the island including Mark and Andy Cross who were running ‘Bluebell’ their race Morris Minor. Whilst not the fastest car competing it easily won the popular vote each time it ran.

A good five day break with great weather, classics, motor sport and good food – perfect.

We are planning to take three cars down to Devon to meet up with Devon Area on their stand at the Powderham Castle Historic Vehicle Gathering and, closer to home, will have our own stand (and MASC gazebo) at the Poole Bay Classics Extravaganza at Braemore House.

Concluding a busy July we are due to visit a jigsaw factory and the July club night will be our annual PDQ evening road run. Our annual BBQ pops up shortly – now where did I put my wellies and umbrella?

John Gully - Dorset Area Representative

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AREAREPORT ESSEX

Throughout the Summer months, starting in May by popular demand we have decided to have a short run on our club night, the first Tuesday of each month and combine this with a meal at different local pub on each occasion.

The first of these mid- week runs organised by Tim & Linda was well attended by ten cars, on a dry and just about sunny evening. It was good to welcome some new members Jon in his 1500 Midget and Jonathon who sadly had to come in his modern both attending their first runs and also friends of Paul & Helen who drove Paul’s white Mark III Midget meaning he could enjoy his Frog on this occasion.

The run about an hour in length, started at the historic town of Maldon and offering views across the quay and estuary. Heading back towards home territory for Tim & Linda the convoy proceeded through Wickham Bishops via Beacon Hill, from this vantage point over the estuary there were distant views of Kent (for those with very keen eyesight!). On to Tiptree, home of the famous jam factory, through Little Totham and Tollesbury surrounded by Essex marshes and to our final destination for the evening, The Queens Head Tolleshunt D’Arcy where a well-earned pint and dinner awaited the intrepid drivers.

Our main Sunday run of this month was co-ordinated meticulously by Anne & David, again there

was a good turn out with six cars, including Tim in his Mark I Landrover, due to a crankshaft problem with his Frog, meaning the engine was still in pieces on the day. The run was over 80 miles and covered a very diverse area from the Dengie peninsular passing through villages including: Burnham, Southminster, Althorne and South Woodham through the centre of the county covering villages including: Danbury, Bicknacre and Little Baddow stopping for coffee at the beautiful Papermill Locks. We were all entertained by the various barges navigating the locks whilst filling our faces with very ample portions of cake. The area was extremely busy this day with organised Bike and walking events in aid of Farleigh Hospice. Fully refreshed we set off for the North of the County touching on the Suffolk borders visiting some delightful places on route to our lunch stop just outside the village of Clare at a new venue for us all Tarka’s Café at Baythorne. The food and company as ever were first rate and we set off for the long journey home having had another wonderful day.

The photograph shows the Essex crew having filled up on Shell beside a vintage petrol pump strategically situated outside Tarka’s Café. What a fantastic piece of organisation by Dave & Anne and the fuel only 5 shillings a gallon.

Gary

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HEART OF ENGLANDAREAREPORT

May was a relatively quiet month for the Heart of England group with no runs taking place. However we did have a MASC presence at the annual Motor Show held at Ragley Hall on the Whitsun Bank Holiday Sunday this year and Steve has written this review. 

Ragley HallThere were sporadic rain showers but not sufficient to dampen the spirits of hardy Heart of Englanders.

Usual suspects John Pruden, Kath and Stan Green, Kevin and Debbie Wellings braved the slightly iffy forecast but huge respect is due to Ray and Jean Jones.

Ray and Jean only returned from the balmy climes of Portugal at 10 pm on the previous evening and a no show at Ragley would have been understandable.  Imagine my surprise then, when I spotted the Old English White Mk II Sprite of the Jones’s heading towards our pitch, roof down in the rain, driven by Ray still wearing his attire from the previous day in Portugal ie shorts and short sleeved Summer.  This sort of commitment to MASC events is fantastic so hats off to you Ray and Jean.  Indefatigable spirit!

Some fantastic Classics from Mark 8 Jags to Ford Cortina 1600E graced the event and the show arena was constantly busy with various prizes for the loudest, most cherished, most interesting and most quirky Classics duly awarded to beaming owners.

With the Historic House and all of its extensive gardens to explore as well many Trade stands as well as free entertainment from a lively troupe of

young dancing girls (and a couple of lads!) it was a great day enjoyed by all.

Steve.

Up coming eventsStuart & Sybil’s Worcestershire Run - 13th July - Worcestershire run taking in Bromyard, Malvern hills, and Pershore against others. 

We are supporting the British Coffee & Classic at the Classic Car Hub  at Bibury on 7 July, Midget and Sprite Challenge at Donnington 20-21 July,  Silverstone Classic 28 July, Welland Steam fair 28 July.

Next month we will be reporting the Shelsley Walsh - Nostalgia Event, and Geoff June Midweek Jolly.

Dave and Linda

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AREAREPORT KENT

“Heaven” by John Clark“The opportunity to attend the Canterbury Cathedral Car Show presented itself again this year with the chance of improving on last year which found the Frog severely outnumbered by Morgans. They are all very nice but not necessarily classics in the strictest sense of the word. 

The show is held over two days in the normally closed gardens around the Cathedral and homes of the religious hierarchy. So this year three Spridgets managed the Saturday with a similar group on Sunday albeit enlarged by our resident Austin 1100 and a friendly MGF. All proceeds from this year’s shows were in aid of gardens for the disabled, a worthy cause. The sun shone on both days and the tea and home made cakes were excellent. Last year we were inspected by the Dean and others. This year we were blessed with a visit by the Archbishop and his Family, although he was very much undercover in shorts and shades. We obviously impressed as I was approached by a representative

from Kings Canterbury requesting that we display our cars at an upcoming event at the School featuring Show Jumping, a Cricket match, a display by the Rolls Royce Owners Club and a BBQ with 800 expected guests. Well to date we have twelve cars lined up for the end of June and a delighted School Rep to boot. (insert Heaven 1 and 2)

Taking all this into consideration and the fact that not that long ago we represented 1958 cars at Buckingham Palace with Prince Michael in attendance and every month we meet at both The Crown Inn and The Angel, I think that contrary to popular belief we are all well on the way to a better place at some time in the (distant) future. 

John Clark, 3583

And in connection with the same event at the cathedral, James Sinfield reports adds to John’s report saying “A small group of the East Kent branch went along to Canterbury Cathedral open day garden event, just for three hours in the afternoon on Sunday 25th May. A very friendly little show with a nice mix of cars and good to see three pre-war cars, very rare at meetings these days. I think this picture says it all about the friendliness of our club.”

Kent Masc in the month of May by Alan AnsteadSarre 4th May. This meet was brought forward a week because of our Norfolk Tour devouring its normal slot in the month.

Andy Liew brought along his newly painted Midget. Seventeen “rattle” cans had been used to apply

31

Robin LawtonVintage & Classic Car Specialists

Quality Sprites and Midgets

Always WantedEspecially Frogeye

and Pre-74 cars

T : 0 1 4 2 0 4 7 4 9 1 9 W W W. R O B I N L AW T O N . C O M

We offer - Outright Purchaseor Sale on Commission

We specialise in selling quality Vintage & Classic Motor Cars and Spridgets have always been a particular passion.

We are located between Peter�eldand Alton in Hampshire, between the

A3 & A32 in the beautiful South Downs National Park.

three coats of paint: each coat ‘flatted’ before application of the next. The finish looked good!

Beside that was Dave Chalk’s ‘Super Sprite’ the reddest of all after its recent change from dark blue.

Mel’s red Midget 1500 was hiding it’s latest improvement. I have suggested Mel ‘tell all’ of his car’s conversion to Gaz telescopic shock absorbers, at the back, by writing an article for a future edition of Mascot. As ‘a picture tells a thousand words’ the picture of the cars, that attended, outside the Crown Sarre should tell all.

Angel 26th May. Bank holiday weekend so numbers were very low. Brian Keyward (Midget) and Derek Harris (Frogeye) attended to collect their ‘Daks over Normandy’ Tour (4-8 June 2019) plaques. Regulars Ron & Marilyn added to the poor number of Spridgets in the car park with Graeme Williams (Williams & Pritchard Sebring Sprite) and myself Frogeye contributing to the total of just five. Geoff Allgood will bring his finished and restored Frogeye to the next meeting (wont you Geoff?). Gary Puxty came in a seemingly quite rare to see, nowadays, MGF. Our number was completed by a visitor from Sussex - Bob Wallis who may have mistaken us for an AHC meeting and came in a ‘Big Healey’. Whilst we ate a Supermarine Spitfire from Biggin Hill entertained us overhead.

AA.

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NORTH WESTAREAREPORT

The Tatton Park Classic Car Show which was on 1st and 2nd June which has to be one of the biggest car shows in the country and I would estimate that it has about 1000 cars on display including both clubs and private owners. The show also has a very good Auto jumble which is quite rare nowadays as ebay usually dominates that area. In the past we have had as many as 16 cars attending from our North West Club, but this year the organizers wanted to limit us to ten cars !! I replied saying that we had all given our cars a good wash and shrunk them down in size so we can easy get 13 cars on the pitch, which we indeed managed. !! Saturday was really the best day as the Sun stayed with us most of the day.However, Sunday was a bit different with fewer cars on the pitch but as it rained on and off most of the day,it really is so great that we have our club marquee. We had quite a few enquiries from other clubs wanting to know where we had had the club logo printed its nice to know we are making an impression.

Sunday 9th June was our third Cars & Coffee meeting of the year at the Kilton Inn this year. It is going very well with another good turnout and variety of cars even a few big Healeys 3000s joining us, great to see them out and about. Shelley & I had double booked ourselves, so as well as the Cars and Coffee Shelley had booked us on a canal trip including Soup and an afternoon tea so we had to leave soon after an hour from the start, but happily despite our absence we were told all went well which is always very encouraging !

As you may have read in our editors notes last month, we in the North West Area have taken on the roll of organizing an event for the 60th Anniversary of the MG Midget on the 26th to 29th June 2021. The club committee have backed us by paying a deposit to the chosen venue, so all we have to do now is deliver you a wonderful event, no pressure then !!. I know it is two years away but we have found what we think is a great venue, The Mere Golf Hotel , Knutsford, Cheshire. We needed to book these places early before the wedding party’s get in and reserve many of the weekends. Anyway do make a note in your diary of the dates and we will give you more information on how to book etc as we get nearer the time.

It just only leaves us to say Happy Motoring, and enjoy your Classics!

Neil & Shelley North West Area Reps.

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AREAREPORT NOTTS & DERBY

Despite the weather over the last few weeks, there has been a flurry of activities in close succession. Participants fortunate enough to have their cars on the road no doubt trying to make the most of the dry days that have appeared.

The Papplewick Pumping Station Steaming event was well attended over the May Bank holiday weekend by a variety of classic cars, amongst them Richard and Paul with Midget and Supersprite respectively.

Local pub meets at The Carpenters Arms, Dale Abbey and The Griffin at Papplewick brought out the usual suspects when the weather allowed.

Some of us had a run down the A38 to visit the Curborough Sprint course in early June, where the K-Series group had organised a track day. Some of the regular racing contingent were joined by a few novices in lesser specced cars in order to put their Spridgets through their paces, and some of us were fortunate to be offered exhilarating passenger rides second only to the Alton Towers Nemesis!

Substitute “In space no-one can hear you scream” for “In Rob’s car….”

Many thanks to all drivers kind enough to show how it’s done.

At Curborough Ian’s Sprite and Ian Whitchurch’s Ferrari look on

I managed to arrive slightly earlier than usual at the Wollaton Park Autokarna, but even that was not enough as I arrived at our paddock area to find Richard and Tim had almost finished constructing

the MASC gazebo aided by partners Helen and Alison. We added the banner and topped off with the Notts + Derby flag then settled in with a cuppa ready for the arrival of the remaining members. A good variety of Notts and Derby group cars attended, including Dave O’Neill who brought along his nicely aged MGB which he has owned for over 30 years. Tim was relieved to have been able to get his 1500 Midget to the event despite recent frustrating minor malfunctions, his car now sorted and ready to take on the foray into France with Richard later in the month. (We look forward to a report on your return) We also welcomed new member Simon Revill in his Mk4 Sprite, first timer in our paddock. The whole event was well attended, and I later learnt of huge traffic queues trying to get into the public parking areas. Of the 16 dedicated club areas, MASC were the 3rd largest. We only need a handful more cars next year to become the largest!

June’s monthly meeting brought what might be an unfortunate first – no Spridgets in the car park! Despite the low turnout we welcomed a potential new member, Mark, interested to see what our club can offer.

Let’s hope for better weather in July so that we can have a good run out.

August 8th looks set to be what has become our annual “Fish + Chip” evening in Matlock Bath, followed by a visit to a local hostelry.

Ian Cooke Notts and Derby area coordinator ilcooke@btinternet.com

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SCOTLANDAREAREPORT

As with every other part of the country we here in Scotland have a large variety of shows and events that we as old car enthusiasts can exhibit or attend and although not as prolific attender of these outings as other members of the club. There are however a couple which I like to try and participate in, namely the Borders Vintage Automobile Clubs classic car show at Thirlestane Castle near Lauder in the Scottish Borders and the Boness Revival Hill Climb. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the

Thirlstane show, however Dennis and Lindsay were in attendance and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. It really is a good day with plenty happening in the parade ring, autojumble and the car displays.

Progress is taking shape on the three car garage, the foundations have been excavated and the hardcore added and next week the concrete base will be pumped into the foundations. The garage itself will be getting delivered week beginning July 1st and should be erected soon after, so it is all action.

This will clear up space in the current garage which will allow me to get back to working on the Rusty One.

35

YORKSHIREAREAREPORT

Mark & I have had a busy time since the May meeting. We’ve been to Harewood Hillclimb where a few Spridgets were entered and a few also spotted in the spectator car park.

We’ve also been to a couple of shows including a Concourse event in Valletta, Malta. A MKIII Midget and a very fine restoration of a UK MKIII Sprite were entered there. Mark’s ex Heartbeat Frogeye is undergoing recommissioning and has just been rewired and the engine started. Today we are delivering an Arkley to its new owner for a friend. This car has been built on a 1958 MKI Sprite chassis and still has its 9 stud windscreen. We understand there are interesting plans for this car.

Our June meeting was held at The Anchor at Whixley. Delighted to meet existing, lapsed and potential MASC members. John & Debbie, Mick, Emma, David, Charlie and Arthur. (insert Anchor pic)4 Spridgets in the car park. 2 K-series Midgets, a Frogeye and a MKII Sprite. A lot of chat about K-series as Mick has a project to restart. We talked about getting a few folk together to help him make some progress. Mick says he’ll supply any volunteers with food! Interest expressed in track days, runs, weekends away and overseas trips.  Our July meeting will be from 7pm on Thursday 18th at The Fox & Grapes, York Road, LS15 4 NJ.

The pub is about 2 miles to the west (towards Leeds) of junction 44 of the A1M with the A64 and has plenty of parking at the front and back. Now we have our computer up and running after the move back from Australia, we plan to get organised and send out emails to Yorkshire members as well as using the Facebook group to communicate.

Anita

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DEAR MASCOT...

HELLO NEIL

71007 was Midge’s mileage as we left the “MG’s in the Park” event held on Sunday 9th June at the Cotswold Wildlife Park in South Oxfordshire, organised and hosted by the Oxford MG Owners’ Club.  We didn’t see the odometer turning 71,000 (not for the first time we suspect), we were just very glad that our recent blown head gasket misfortune as reported by Wiltshire’s Andy Cross in June’s Mascot was speedily resolved, and is holding for now at least.  Thanks to Andy for his advice and help - always great to be part of such an inclusive Club!  Only downside was Andy reported Midge’s colour as red and it’s most definitely Blaze orange!

We heard about the MG event from Kevan of MASC Bristol at a recent show; what’s not to like about 500 or more MG’s, from pre-war to the very latest SAIC models, with all the eras in between? Well, the fact that of those 500 odd cars we counted less than a dozen Midgets .. Graham was nearly tempted to enter our car in the Midget category of the pride of ownership competition as, with no other contenders at all, that would be its best shot of winning something ... as anyone who has seen our Midget will attest!  

Here’s our Midget with a nice red Midget from the Redditch area behind.  About an hour’s run for each for us.  We thoroughly enjoyed our day - the Wildlife Park is excellent with a wide variety of animals and birds with colourful gardens; the event was well-organised with a good selection of trade stands, live music, huge raffle and a friendly bunch of people plus an optional afternoon road run around the

Cotswolds.  Pre-booking is not required; driver and MG are admitted free to the Wildlife Park with reduced entry for passengers; free entry to the MG event once in the Park. 

So when next year’s event comes round (the 22nd year) it would be nice to see a few more Midgets waving the flag for the MG side of MASC.  Definitely one for the diary in June 2020!

http://www.oxfordshiremgoc.co.uk/mgs_in_the_park.html

Kind regards

GRAHAM & ZOE HAWKINS

Ken Samen, A MASC member from over the pond, sent me this:

“What do you have in your boot/trunk?

I have gathered items over the years I feel would be needed in case of a road side emergency.  Besides folding chairs, jack, and fire extinguisher, I bring many spares wherever I go. Stowed in a canvas bag, is a fan belt, carburettor diaphragm, Zenith Stromberg adjustment tool, winter and summer thermostats, radiator filler gasket, lugnuts, spark plugs, spark plug gapping tool, fuel pump gasket, brake adjustment tool, tape, flashlight, and other basic tools... But to truly be prepared for every potential problem, maybe I should just tow a parts car where ever I go...?

What do you carry in your boot? Let me know. Here’s mine.

KEN SAMEN

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© Midget & Sprite Club. Printed by Quorum Print Services Ltd, Units 3&4, Lansdown Industrial Estate, Cheltenham, GL51 8PL Tel: 01242 584984 Website: www.quorumprint.co.uk E-mail: info@quorumprint.co.uk

CHAIRMAN Mark Hall, T: 01296 660103 E: chairman@midgetandspriteclub.co.ukGENERAL SECRETARY Glyn Polly, T: 07544 302 575 E: glyn.polly@ymail.comTREASURER David King, T: 01453 544202 E: djs.king46@gmail.comEDITOR Neil Thomas, T: 07891 684435 E: editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.ukAREA REP’S DELEGATE John Collins, E: green_mx5@hotmail.comMEMBERSHIP Stuart Watson, “Staddlestones”, Thicknall Lane, Clent, Stourbridge, West Midlands. DY9 0HX. T: 01562 883076 E: membership@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk GENERAL MEMBER Alan Pritchett, T: 07720 238810 E: a.pritchett@btinternet.com Gary Lazarus, E: garyfrogeye@gmail.com T: 020 7700 5696 Anthony Cutler, E: anthony.cutler@btinternet.com Richard Weaver, E: fsam1983@hotmail.comYOUNG PERSONS REP Liam Murphy, E: biddysingh@gmail.comFACEBOOK COORDINATOR Richard Wharmby, T: 07814 764546 E: r.wharmby10@virginmedia.comMARKETING OFFICER Clare Nedin, marketing@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

CLUB ARCHIVIST & Terry Horler, 63 Littledean, Yate, Bristol, BS37 8UQ. T: 01454 881770TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION E: rebelwithasprite@hotmail.comMEMBERS ADVERTISING Neil Thomas, T: 07891 684435 E: editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.ukCAR REGISTERSSPRITES & MIDGETS Stuart Watson, E: stuart@thewatsonz.com T: 01562 883 076(EXCEPT MK1 SPRITES)SPRITES MK1 Gary Lazarus, garyfrogeye@gmail.com T: 020 7700 5696REGALIA OFFICER Mike Grout, 55 Park Road, Spixworth, Norwich, NR10 3PJ. T: 01603 890211 E: miketg54@hotmail.comTECHNICAL ADVISOR Mark Boldry, E: mark26r@hotmail.comWEBMASTER Mike Bennett, webmaster@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk T: 01925 727479TRADE ADVERTISING Gary Lazarus, garyfrogeye@gmail.com T: 020 7700 5696ENQUIRIES E: enquiries@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk / alan.anstead@btopenworld.com

BRISTOL Terry Horler, T: 01454 881770 E: rebelwithasprite@hotmail.comCAMBRIDGESHIRE Graham Kirkup, T: 01223 511835 E: gramag.kirkup@ntlworld.comCENTRAL Dave Warren, T: 07831 101850 E: central.masc@live.comDEVON Michael Ellis, T: 07414 279074 E: michael_ellis@live.co.uk DORSET John Gully, T: 07876 334949 email john.gully@btinternet.comESSEX Tim Wyman, T: 07828 245280 E: essexmidgetandspriteclub@gmail.comHAMPSHIRE Terry Langridge, T: 01252 626063 E: friendlyfolk@maschants.co.ukHEART OF ENGLAND Dave Colclough, T:07543641284 E:dave@colcloughsonline.co.ukHOME COUNTIES Mark Hall, T: 01296 660103 E: markdhall@aol.comKENT Alan Anstead, T: 01322 384050 E: alan.anstead@btopenworld.comLINCOLNSHIRE Jason Elliot, E: dyke-jason@hotmail.co.ukLONDON Gary Lazarus, T: 020 7700 5696 E: garyfrogeye@gmail.comNORTHAMPTON Andrew Parrott, Mob: 07808 158623 E: andrew.parrott@btconnect.com NORTH WEST Neil McLeod, T: 01772 466648 Mob: 07921 089 680 E: neil_mcleod2@outlook.com NOTTS/DERBY Ian Cooke, T: 0115 938 3838 E: ilcooke@btinternet.comOXFORD Grahame Gibbins, T: 01235 530456 E: grahame_gibbins@hotmail.comSCOTLAND Graham Smith, T: 0141 954 8276 E: smith.grahamf@yahoo.co.ukSOMERSET CURRENTLY VACANTSOUTH WEST WALES David Hill, T: 01239 811307 E: david@hill.beSURREY Mike Gorman, T: 01737-552256 E: gorman698@btinternet.comSUSSEX Chris Harding, T: 01342 718860 E: harding.cm@btinternet.comWILTSHIRE Andy Cross, T: 01225 743554 E: andyspeedbox@gmail.comYORKSHIRE Mark Boldry T: 07471 606060 Anita Lachowicz T: 07484 682516 E: spridget.girl@gmail.com

THE WHO, THE WHAT & THE WHERE OF THE MIDGET & SPRITE CLUB

COMM

ITTEEOFFICERS

AREA REPRESENTATIVES

MIDGET &SPRITE CLUB

ALSO SEE THE CLUB NIGHTS SECTION FOR NEW AREAS AND CONTACTS

Compiled by Neil Thomas. Please advise me of any changes, errors etc.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL: If you experience ‘MASCOT’ problems upon renewal, please contact the membership secretary or the treasurer straight away.

38

CLUB NIGHTS3rd Thursday YORKSHIRE AREA. Thursday 20th June, meeting for the Yorkshire area will be at

The Anchor, New Road, Whixley, York YO26 8AG from around 7PM – For further details contact Mark Boldry 07471 606060 or Anita Lachowicz 07484 682516 - email: spridget.girl@gmail.com

1st Tuesday ESSEX AREA. From May – September we meet on the first Tuesday of the month for a car run, ending in a pub for an evening meal. Please contact Tim Wyman tel 07828 245280, email address essexmidgetandspriteclub@gmail.com for more details.

1st Wednesday CENTRAL AREA. Now meet each month 8.30pm onwards at the Tame Otter, Lichfield Road, Hopwas, Tamworth, B78 3AF, 8.30 pm onwards Contact: Dave Warren, Tel: 07831 101850. Email: central.masc@live.com

1st Wednesday OXFORD AREA. Meet at the Blackhorse Pub, Gozzards Ford, Nr Abingdon. 7pm for those eating or 8pm for those not. Contact Grahame Gibbins at grahame_gibbins@hotmail.com

2nd Tuesday LONDON AREA (CONGESTION ZONE). Meet at The Ace Cafe at 7:30pm together with the Classic Cars Magazine night. Details: Gary Lazarus on 020 7700 5696 garyfrogeye@gmail

2nd Wednesday DEVON AREA. Meet at Court Farm, Abbotskerswell, TQ125 NY Devon. 7.30pm Michael Ellis Michael_Ellis@live.co.uk and telephone: 07414 279074

2nd Wednesday HEART OF ENGLAND. All welcome at the Green Dragon, Sambourne, Redditch B96 6NU 8pm gathering for a 8:30pm start. Further information from Dave Colclough on dave@colcloughsonline.co.uk or 0754 3641284.

2nd Wednesday NORTH WEST AREA. Meet at The Kilton, turn off M6 at Jct 20 onto A50 towards Macclesfield. Pub 4 miles on left. Please note new venue. Neil McLeod email neil_mcleod2@outlook.com Tel 01772 466648 Mobile 07921 089680

2nd Wednesday BRISTOL AREA will meet at Wishing Well, Wapley Road, Codrington, Bristol BS37 6RY. From 8.00pm – or earlier for a Curry enjoyed in peace! Contact Terry Horler 01454 881770 rebelwithasprite@hotmail.com

2nd Thursday NOTTS/DERBY BORDER AREA. The Hunters Arms at Kilburn, DE56 0LU (just off the A38) from 7.30. Venues may change through the summer months for country runs. Ian Cooke 0115 938 3838 ilcooke@btinternet.com

2nd Thursday CAMBRIDGESHIRE AREA. Meet at The White Swan, Elsworth Road, Connington, Cambs CB23 4LN from 8pm

3rd Thursday NORTHAMPTON AREA. The Red Lion, Welford Road, Thornby, Northamptonshire, NN6 8SJ from 8pm4th Thursday LINCOLNSHIRE AREA. Meeting at The Wishing Well Inn, Dyke, PE10 0AF from 7 o’clock onwards.2nd Sunday EAST KENT GROUP. Meet at the Crown Inn, Sarre, CT7 0LF from 12.30hrs

Contact Area Rep alan.anstead@btopenworld.com or John Clark group co-ordinator jrclark@sky.com3rd Tuesday SCOTLAND. Meet at Houstoun House Hotel, Broxburn, EH52 6JS. Meetings start at 7.30pm.

Graham Smith 0141 954 8276 email: smith.grahamf@yahoo.com 3rd Tuesday SURREY. Meet at The Blue Ball, Deans Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill, Tadworth Surrey KT20 7UE.

7.30pm onwards. Contact Mike Gorman, gorman698@btinternet.com Tel: 01737 5522564th Monday DORSET. New Venue: Charlton Inn, Bournemouth Road, Charlton Marshall, Blandford Forum, Dorset

DT11 9NH about 7.30pm4th Thursday SUSSEX. Meet at Bolney Stage, Bolney, RH17 5RL from 19:00. 4th Thursday HAMPSHIRE. Meets at The Millhouse, North Warnborough, Odiham, RG29 1ET. Please ring Terry or

Harriet Langridge on 01252 626063 for details.4th Sunday KENT AREA. Back at The Angel, Addington Green, Kent until further notice. Contact Alan Anstead

enquiries@midgetandspriteclub.comLast Monday WILTSHIRE. Meet at The Barge Inn, Seend, Nr. Devizes, about 7pm. Contact Andy Cross on

01225 743554 or email andyspeedbox@gmail.comLast Wednesday HOME COUNTIES NORTH WEST for members in Herts, Beds, Bucks, Berks, N. London or anyone

interested! Meet at the Chequers Inn, Redbourn, AL3 7AD from 6:30pm. Please contact Mike or Sue Gahan on email mike@mgahan.demon.co.uk or on 07850 488636.

Last Thursday. SOMERSET AREA. Non-regular and occasional meetings and runs arranged throughout the year. Please contact Valerie Young on 01460 391431 for further information. We may not always be there, especially in the Summer!

Northern Ireland robertholmes25@hotmail.com. If enough interest, will arrange a meeting.South West Wales Non-regular and occasional meetings and runs arranged throughout the summer months.

Please contact David Hill on 01239 811307 or email: david@hill.be

39

MARKET PLACEWHO NEEDS EBAY? REACH FELLOW MEMBERS IN NEED OF SPARES, PROJECTS, HELP...

FOR SALE: Four MGB  wheels , good condition £80 ,buyer collects. Contact Dave  07721186818

FOR SALE: Midget 1275 engine.  Sprite/Midget door skins (pair) ’64-on, NOS. 1275 sump. 1275 engine frontplate. 12G940 head.  12A185 Sprite cylinder head, Oselli modified. 1275 first motion shaft (22G229), 22G1100 laygear and various B-type gears from a Goldseal gearbox.  Tel: 01773 590383 or 07803 231283. dave_oneill138@hotmail.com

FOR SALE: Twin SU carb inlet manifold part no; 12G 586. £30.00. Weber 45 DCOE inlet manifold short. £45.00. Spridget competition exhaust manifold. make unknown, but appears in good cond, ie, no dents or obvious damage. £75.00. Cyl Head part no 12G 202. complete £45.00. Mk 1 Midget- Mk 2 Sprite or 997 Cooper. David Lewis. 01495 785558 or e.mail; dclittlemill@hotmail.co.uk

FOR SALE: Midget 1974 in red, 1274cc, chrome bumpers, round wheel arches, servo brakes, dry stored; good condition. Chris 07770380053 £5500- Offers considered. Shropshire.

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR ADVERT TO: Neil Thomas E: editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

FOR SALE: Car transporter trailer for sale. Single axle car transporter trailer. Hand winch, jockey wheel, ramps, lighting bar with number plate clips.Good tyres. Dimension: bed 3.7m (12’) long x 1.6m (5’3”) wide; Overall 4.9m (15’6”) long x 2m (6’6”)wide.Good well balanced trailer which tows well and easy to handle. I have used it to transport my Frogeye Sprite, MGB and 2CV. £800 ono. Buyer collects or can deliver at cost. Located Lincolnshire. Contact dandjwhit@btinternet.com, 01507 339288.

FOR SALE: Austin Healey MK1 Sprite. Leaf green, rebuilt engine- original gearbox, wire wheels + original steel ones. Rebuilt body + steel bonnet. Everything new or re-furbished. Comes with rare Ashley G.T. hardtop (Bulbous one). Needs a good home, bonnet now too heavy. Solihull area. £16500 ono. Contact Roger Hooper 0121 7073766.

40

www.ahspares.co.uk

New LED Light Upgrade Kit Available

Available in both positive and negative earth, each kit contains the indicator relay and correct number of LEDs to replace both the exterior and interior bulbs in your Frogeye.

We are excited to introduce our new range of LED lighting upgrade kits for Austin-Healey Sprite MK 1 Frogeye.

LED HEADLIGHT:

XLTG133 Headlight Bulb Kit

LED BULB UPGRADE KIT:

XLTG240 Positive Earth

XLTG241 Negative Earth

MASCOT TEMPLATE - 2018.indd 1 16/08/2018 10:23:35

42

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